Pothole season and repair bills come early for P.E.I. drivers

Spring has notofficially arrived on the Island, but big swings in temperatures thepast few weeks have an early start to the pothole season,muchto the aggravation of drivers.

Fluctuating weather between warm and cold temperatures has left some streets looking like a slalom course as drivers weave around or, in some cases, go straight through deep potholes.

And that, as many unlucky drivers are aware, can lead to costly repair bills.

"We had a couple in this morning with a tire that was ruined by a pothole," said Ernie Stanley, manager of Coast Tire in Charlottetown. "It seems to be showing up a little bit earlier this year and definitely a little more often, too."

Stanley said he's been taking two or three calls a day for the two weeks from drivers with puncturedtires and cracked sidewalls.

Repair costs can rangefrom as little as$30 to patch a tire to more than $450 for a new rim and tire.

Other vehicle parts can also be affected bypotholes.

More than just tire damage

"Even the alloy wheels, they just can't handle a deep hole especially if there's too much speed up, front ends can be damaged, ball joints, shocks get early wear," Stanley said.

Potholes appearwhen water seeps through pavement cracks and freezes and thaws. Traffic then erodes the weakened pavement.

Experts say it's always best to drive through potholes slowly, but when one is unavoidable, there are some tips to protect your car.

"One would be swerve around it if there's nobody behind them, the other would be to almost stop and walk through," said Wayne MacFarlane, an instructor withAbegweitDriving School.

"The term we use is walk through it, so that you're going to sort of go down into it and then come out, and then come out the other side and then carry on driving."

Tips from CAA

To prepare for pothole season, here a few tips from the Canadian Automobile Association to help your car withstand the punishment.

• Keep your speed down on uneven road surfaces.
• Keep your tires properly inflated. Improperly inflated tires could burst upon hitting a pothole.
• Be cautious when the roads are wet, as there may be a pothole under that puddle.
• Stay off seams at the edges and centre of the road, a key spot where potholes usually develop.
• Be wary of a pavement edge that drops off - a collision could occur if you lose control. If your tires fall off the edge of the pavement, slow down and avoid braking. When slowed and in control, steer back onto the roadway.
• Beware of cars or trucks suddenly swerving into your lane to miss a pothole.
• Be extra careful at night when potholes are hard to see.
• If you can't avoid a pothole and must go over it, go slowly and don't stomp on the brakes.
• Make sure headlights are clean.

Charlottetown crews have begun repairing the streets. Signs have also been erected to indicate where the worst potholes are located.

The city says it usually tries to fix potholes within 48 hours, depending on weather conditions.

In the meantime, MacFarlane said the best advice is the simplest "Slow down, increase your distance between you and the vehicle in front of you and be prudent and watch, watch, watch."

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